Before you design anything, you need to understand who you’re designing for — that’s where user research comes in.

User research helps you gather real insights about your target audience: their goals, challenges, habits, and preferences. Common methods include interviews, surveys, observation, and usability tests. The goal? To move beyond guesses and assumptions.

Once you’ve collected this data, you can create user personas — fictional but data-based characters that represent key user types. These personas help keep your design decisions focused on real user needs.

In UX, research is your compass. It keeps your work grounded, relevant, and impactful.